WALLET CARD - A Mello-Minty Smile

I've said it before and I'll say it again....my Oscar Gamble PC is the most fun project I've ever worked on in this hobby. Smile on my face - brimming wide...every single time.

I picked up 2 whole cards of his from COMC this past year (I know...impressive). The one I'm sharing with you today is a perfect example of what I love about building this player collection.

Next month will be the 10-year mark for my Oscar Gamble card chase. I'm shaking my head as I type that. Time truly flies. And while he may not have had many new cards added to the list recently, the real joy in this build comes from what has existed for years.

There are around 200 unique Oscar Gamble cards out there - microscopic when compared to the gargantuan mountain of 25,000+ cards of a player like Derek Jeter. Most of the Gamble cards he has are base or easy inserts to track down (and inexpensive)...and I've slowly done that over the years. It's no fun to just go out and buy everything in a day just to say "I'm finished".

The past couple years, scratching Oscar Gamble cards off the list has become more challenging. There are still a few that I can find easily, but if the price isn't right...I'll pass. Other cards of his just don't pop up at all - yes, there are some tougher parallels or low numbered stuff that makes this journey even more fun.

2014 Panini Golden Age Mini

#126 Smith's Mello-Mint Back

First, let's stop and enjoy this great piece of cardboard. Oscar Gamble has an absolutely infectious smile. I love the entire look of this card. The highlights hitting his face as he looks ahead to what the day might bring. Like a warm summer afternoon with nothing but good thoughts and a carefree attitude.

This Panini Golden Age card would've been released just prior to the start of my Oscar Gamble PC. In that 2014 product, there was a regular-sized base card, a Black 1/1 (which I own...but for some reason have never shared), a couple other base parallels that I still am on the hunt for as well as a plethora of mini, tobacco-sized offerings like this one.

Those mini cards have multiple versions, all differentiated by the backs. There are seven to chase (one of which is a Panini Logo-back 1/1). This card makes the sixth mini for my PC - and it was by far the toughest to track down.

The Smith's Mello-Mint back has eluded me for ten whole years. I've never seen another copy. This one showed up on COMC a number of months back and I did a hard triple-take when I initially saw it. I raced to the collection closet to snag the box containing my Oscar Gamble cards. I feverishly sifted to find the Golden Age Minis. 

Croft's Swiss Milk Cocoa Back...check, Hindu Brown Back...check, Hindu Red Back...check, MONO Blue Back...check, MONO Green Back...check, Smith's Mello-Mint Back...NEED!!

I was stunned with a smile to finally see it. It's not a numbered card (and are 1:48 packs...so one in every 2 boxes), but like I said, I'd not seen an Oscar Gamble copy in all these years. I was equally floored by the $2.50 price tag attached to the card. It was an insta-buy.

Receiving my COMC cards last week, this piece of cardboard was at the top of the list in terms of excitement level. I was like a kid in a candy store ripping open the envelope and pulling out the sweet treat. I had a smile the likes of the one on the Gamble card itself when I finally had this item in my hands and flipped it over to reveal the gorgeous Smith's Mello-Mint back. Just loved it.

I think the most fun projects to build are the ones that provide a balance of enjoyment and challenge - and heightened levels of that are like an extra bonus level of fun. Oscar Gamble does that perfectly. Not every card is going to be hovering in front of me just waiting to be purchased. Time, effort, "the chase", these are things that I value when it comes to collecting. 

Adding a card like this one just reinforces my enthusiasm to keep looking.

In the iconic words of Calvin and Hobbes...Let's Go Exploring!

BEHIND THE MASKS - I Finally Did It

Less than 3 weeks into 2025 and I'm just bursting with excitement at what the new year has already brought...and what I'm hoping it will bring. After a challenging 2024, it's a welcomed sight.

So too are some fantastic cards that arrived from COMC this past week. 

I tend to build up my purchases over the year and then have it all shipped in November. Makes for a fun start when the calendar turns...I think I'll be continuing this tradition.

It was a smaller batch of cards this past year - about 20 or so - but each one brought a smile to my face as it pocketed into one of my ongoing collections.

It also gives me a chance to blog a bit here in January (again...exciting).

So let's start with a card that has been on the wantlist for over 25 years.

1996/97 Pinnacle Masks

#6 Ron Hextall

This might look like a simple Ron Hextall mask card to you. To me, it represents the final piece of an important cardboard puzzle.

The Pinnacle Masks insert sets that were released between 1993/94 and 1997/98 have been without a doubt the most fun mask cards to chase. They were my gateway to goalie mask card collecting and I can still vividly remember rummaging through monster boxes at hobby shops on my weekend trips to the stores, feeling like I discovered gold when I pulled a mask card I needed out of a box. I would spend hours at those places.

A lot of the shops that were staples in my hobby world back in the late 90's/early 2000's are long gone. I'm grateful that the wonderful memories I have of the people and places still sit with me strong.

So why did I take so long to snag this Hextall?

I had completed all the other Pinnacle Masks sets at the time in much shorter order. These 96/97 inserts were a little harder to come by. I had 2 cards on the wantlist for many, many years...and only just knocked off the other one a couple years ago. 

With just a single card left on the list, I started to ignore it as I was building my other, more current goalie mask sets (from In The Game, Leaf, you name it). And seeing the prices for the Hextall online didn't really inspire me to make that final purchase (I like finding my mask cards in the $3-5 range). Locally, the well had dried up years ago. I didn't see one at all - anywhere.

So why now?

Last year was a slow year in picking up cards all around. I had a few dollars in my COMC account and made the decision to spend them. I opened up my wantlists and started searching. On my goalie mask wantlist, the Hextall was sitting right at the top - staring me dead in my face - the oldest card I was still in need of. 

The price for it on COMC - $12us......and that was on sale, down from $20. Still more that I really wanted to spend.

But I did it...I splurged and added it to my items to be shipped.

For years I was holding out for a less expensive copy of the card. Wouldn't you know it....there's a Hextall on COMC today (I checked as I typed this out) for $8.47us. Just. My. Luck. Ha ha.

No regrets at all in picking this copy up when I did. It finishes that 5-year-run of Pinnacle Masks cards that really mean a lot to my overall personal collection, and I'm thrilled by that. But it did give me slight pause in reminding myself that there is nothing wrong with being patient. I believe it always pays off.

I'll share more of my recent purchases over the next couple weeks. Super excited by what I've been sifting through. Just a really fun way to kick off the year. Let's go!

OUTSIDE THE BOX - Marvel Renditions

A hearty welcome to 2025!! Very excited for what the year might bring.

I haven't been much of a pack ripper over the past couple years. Just not as much product that really gets me excited as there once was. I normally gravitate towards stuff that my guy, Trevor Linden, resides in. It's been slimmer pickings recently.

But I found myself busting open some packs on a couple occasions this past week. And if you're a regular here...it might feel quite outside the box.

For about 3-4 years now, I've been enjoying the Marvel deck building game, Legendary. Developed by Upper Deck over a decade ago, this game has seen literally dozens of expansions and now is a world that consists of thousands of cards. 

I love the game mechanics, the cooperative nature (and it even has a solid solo version that I play quite a bit). 

So...where am I going with this? Upper Deck recently released the Marvel trading card product, Renditions. As a part of the checklist, there are some foil versions of the Legendary cards. My ears perked up at the thought of landing some fun inserts.

I didn't know much about the product when I bought my packs - other than the aforementioned Legendary cards. But I had seen some of the artwork involved and couldn't resist.

I'm still a real sucker for opening packs. I believe it to be the essence of what the trading card hobby is all about. The real thrill of the chase.

Now....in the news world, they say "don't bury the lede", or don't keep the most important stuff to the end.

So......

Opened a pack...very excited to see a card midway down that had its own penny sleeve. That got the goosebumps going. Booklet sketch card....oh boy, here we go!! 

KAPOW!! This photo does not do the card justice. It is absolutely amazing to see this much crazy detail embedded in such a small canvas. Wow! Just floored by this pull.

One person in the store said "case hit". Heck, I think it might be "product hit"...gotta be one of the best cards in the entire release.

The artist is gentleman by the name of M. Arief Russanto. I know nothing of him other than very, very talented.

(quick Google search....young artist from Indonesia. Amazing detailed artwork.)

Now that we've seen the big hit...all this is going to look like mush. Ha ha. Seriously though, I love the artwork on these cards. And of course, some amazing, iconic characters.

It's one of the biggest reasons why I am drawn to the Marvel Legendary game, even though I know next to nothing of the comic books (which a lot of this is inspired by and comes from). But it works so well on the 2.5x3.5 trading card canvas.

This Silk card is a perfect example. The rays of light just enhance the punch of red color coming from Spidey and Silk. Gradient, blending colors create a mesmerizing flow. Piercing highlights on the hair and shoulders make this card pop.

Super eye-catching.

Some of the inserts from the packs...these are canvas comic book cover cards. They look really cool and I can see a lot of people wanting to chase down this set. Again, a perfect vehicle for the trading card.

These not rare by any means (one in every pack)...so an affordable chase is definitely there.

Base cards have some parallel versions. This is the "Goblin Green foil" offering, numbered to 399. Happy with the ones I got in my packs.

The "Kingpin Purple Tie" shiny card (numbered to 99) looks really great in the light. I don't know how they make that foil pattern dance...but it works.

I won't lie though, might be the worst card art in the base set. This Scorpion character does not inspire.

But the main reason why I wanted to open some packs....

Here are the two Legendary foil cards that I pulled. They look dynamite in person. Again, the artwork. I love how these heroes punch right through the card-style borders. Just makes it feel like they're jumping out of the cards at you. Love it.

I'm not sure if I'll chase down the entire foil set (a 90-card build). If they run $3-5 a piece...might be a tough go. They are however, seeded 1 in every 3 packs so there might be a few floating around after the initial wave dies down.

But, they might get scooped up too. It's a hot item currently. Who knows.

Nonetheless, I had a blast opening these few packs (one can say that when he hits a monster sketch booklet - literally). See what I did there? Solid fun.

Let's hope there more big hits to come this year.

What are the "outside the box" items that you chase (or want to chase)? Why?